Artist&#39;s brush cleaning device



Dec. 13, 1960 A. J. ROBERTS ARTISTS BRUSH CLEANING DEVICE Filed Sept. 3,1959 United States Patent ARTISTS BRUSH CLEANING DEVICE Alfred J.Roberts, 8351 Broadway, La Mesa,

Filed Sept. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 837,798

1 Claim. (Cl. -1212) This invention relates to brush cleaning devices,and more specifically to a device which is particularly designed forcleaning artists paint brushes.

Brush cleaning devices have heretofore been provided for severaldifferent specific purposes. However, all such devices have beendirected to cleaning the heavier class of brush, which containscomparatively long and stifi bristles. Examples of such brushes areclothes brushes, hair brushes, and paint brushes of the wood paintingclass. Such brushes require cleaning periodically, or at most, at theend of a days use. An artist on the other hand may wish to clean andchange the color on a brush several times within a few minutes. There istherefore real need for a device which will enable the artist to cleanhis brush thoroughly without damage thereto in the shortest possibletime. Brushes used by artists are generally made of a fine grade ofanimal hair, and are very soft and delicate, with the result that thefine graded point can easily be damaged. A device suitable for suchcleaning purposes must be so designed that the cleaning section willfree itself from deposited paints, or it would soon become clogged andineffective with frequent use.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a deviceof the above class which is suitable and particularly adapted for thecleaning of artists brushes.

It is a further object of this invention to construct a device of theabove nature which is simple to use, and easy to maintain in a cleanoperative condition.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a device of theabove class which is simple in construction, and, therefore, lendsitself to economical manufacturing methods.

The invention consists of a container having a circular conical shapedside wall. A cover and a hinged lid situated centrally of the saidcover, comprise the top closure of the container. A cleaning brushdevice is located within the container in a diagonal manner from thehinged door opening to the opposite side of the container base. Thebrush contains horizontally disposed scrapers at the upper end thereof,and the container is partially filled with turpentine or other suitablesolvent.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,taken in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the paint brush cleaner, showing thehinged lid in an open position.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional side elevation of the paint 2,963,???Patented Dec. 13, 196i] brush cleaner, showing a paint brush being drawnover the cleaning brush.

Figure 3 is a plan view with the cover in raised position.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional front elevation of the paint brush cleaningdevice of my invention, showing the relationship of the scraper barswith respect to the cleaning brush.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views in the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 6 represents a containerhaving a circular side wall 7 which tapers toward a circular base 8. Thediameter of the base is preferably greater than that of the bottom ofthe side wall, leaving an extending stabilizing flange 9. A cover 10consists of a disc having a circular perpendicular ring 11 projectingcentrally from the underside thereof. The lower rim 12 of said ring isadapted to frictionally engage with the innerside of the container sidewall 7. A rectangular opening 13 is cut through the top of the cover 10and is provided with a hinged lid 14 rotatably mounted on lr'ngebearings 15 and 16 secured symmetrically on one side of the opening.

Cleaning brushes 17 are mounted on a board 18 which is locatedvertically beneath the opening 13 and lies diagonally between the bottomedge of the side wall and the opposite top edge thereof. Scrapers 19 arelocated across the top end of the board 18 and project normally to thesaid board. A paint brush 21 is shown in the opening 13 with a brush tip22 in contact with the cleaning brushes 17. A suitable solvent 23 isretained within the container.

In operation, the container is filled about two thirds full with thedesired paint solvent or cleaner. The cleaning brush is placed in thesolvent and the cover is pressed into position. The vertically disposedcover ring 11 locates at the lower edge only and thus provides an easilyremovable seal. The lid is normally maintained in a closed position sothat the fumes are retained and evaporation is avoided. The lid may beflipped open or shut by the end of a paint brush. A paint brush to becleaned is lowered into the solvent and drawn upwardly against thecleaning brushes, requiring only a few strokes to remove all paint. Thepaint brush may be drawn over the scrapers once or twice in order todrain off surplus solvent contained in the brush.

Paint will not accumulate and block up the cleaning brushes due to theshape and slope of the brush holder. The cleaning fluid breaks down theviscosity of the paint which will fall to the bottom of the containerdue to its greater density. This is an important feature of theinvention.

In order to simplify the opening and closing of the lid, a flange may beadded between the hinge portions thereof. This feature has not beenshown on the drawing. The flange may project normally to the lidsurface, so that when the lid is closed it will project upwardly, thusproviding a levering surface by which to open the lid.

It will be appreciated that certain changes may be made to the specificembodiment of the invention described without departing from the scopeor spirit of the invention as defined by the following claim.

I claim:

An artists brush cleaner, comprising a circular container having a sidewall tapering inwardly to terminate and seal with a circular base whichhas a stabilizing flange extending beyond said side wall, a cover havinga vertical rim disposed on the underside thereof for sealing engagementwith the inner surface of the top of said side wall, a hinged lidcovering an opening formed in the top of said cover, a cleaning brushhaving upwardly projecting bristles disposed within said containervertically below said opening, and lying diagonally between one end ofsaid opening and an opposite point on said cirrcular base, andhorizontally disposed scraper .bars projecting parallel with said.bristles at the upper end of 4 said cleaning brush, said container beingadapted to receive a solvent partly filling the said container coveringa portion of said cleaning brush.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS323,420 Hills Aug. 4, 1885 1,096,957 Saunders May 19, 1914 1,285,948Cook Nov. 26, 1918 2,654,504 Hyams Oct. 6, 1953 2,744,276 Chambless May8, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,283 Great Britain of 1907

